"And I will tell you," said Lady Tenderden, "what is the prettiest ting of all, de best imagined possible,—every lady is to have her cipher formed of her chosen flower. As to me, I shall be like Louis de Fourteenth's favourite, and am to have un salon tout tapissé de jonquilles. After all is said, dere is nobody but the French dat know what it is to be gallant. And now, mes chères dames, I must depart. If any thing occurs, any change takes place, you will let me know. You have all settled your parties for going, of course: mine has been long arranged wid de Glenmores and Mr. Leslie Winyard. Adieu, adieu!"
"Of course," said the Comtesse Leinsengen: "mi ladi need not to have taken de pains to inform us on dat subject."
"I think," said Lady Tilney, "considering that this party is made expressly by us, and is quite a thing apart, that she might have passed over for once her tiresome preference of every thing French. But she is always making out that it is the French alone who do every thing in perfection; and that is exceedingly impolite, to say the least of it."
"Very true," added Lady De Chere; "and considering that she is what she is by having married an Englishman, c'est un peu fort."
"But," said Lady Tilney, breaking abruptly off, "I must say adieu. Chère Lady Ellersby, adieu! Remember! three o'clock, at the latest, to-morrow. And we positively can allow no more tickets. No persuasions or entreaties must be suffered to prevail. The affair is finished. I have put my veto on the D'Hermanton," she added, turning round as she approached the door: "that would have been too much."
"I wonder," said Lady Ellersby, as Lady Tilney left the room, "that she is not dead with fatigue. Surely never any body did so much."
"To so little purpose," said the Comtesse Leinsengen sharply; "for, after all, de public of your nation are a great deal too revêche to let any one person lead dem about à droite et à gauche. Much better it is to cut de matter short, to have one's own société, and never care what any body says or does or tinks. Please oneself one's own way, dat is de true liberty. But dat ladi has so many fire-irons all going at once, some of dem must fail, and den she is out of humour."
There was a general smile at what the comtesse had said; and they all enjoyed hearing Lady Tilney found fault with, though no one exactly chose to be the person who should hazard such an opinion.
"Ah! comtesse," observed Lady Boileau, "you are the most amusing person in the world."
"Seulement parce que je suis la plus franche," she replied; and kissing her hand to Lady Ellersby, glided out of the room.